Coach trained future Olympian

Coach trained future Olympian

In 2004, coach Armand Aaron (left) had the opportunity of a lifetime when he coached Spenser Mango (front row, right) who went on to become a competitor at this year's Summer Olympics in London. The future Olympian had just won a state championship and was showing off his trophy along with fellow wrestlers Wes Vilda, state champion (front row, center); Mike Brink (back row, left); Pete Jones, Ed Hamer, and Jim Brokman.

CBHS senior Luke Parish does a series of squats under the watchful eye of his spotter, fellow wrestler Mundy Quinn.

If there is one thing to be said about longevity, it sure can increase your chances of success. For example, Armand Aaron, who has been involved in the sport of wrestling since he was in high school, had the experience of a lifetime when he had the opportunity to coach a future Olympic wrestler.

"This year will be my 34th year of coaching," said Aaron, who is an assistant on head coach Chris Lewis' Christian Brothers High School team.

But he wasn't always the right-hand man.

Aaron, who also teaches Hebrew scripture at CBHS, says "I coached here in the 1980s. I was the head coach. We had the best team in the Memphis area."

They still do.

With wrestlers like returning senior Kaleb Baker, who is a two-time state champ, it's a good bet that they will be the team to beat this year, says Aaron.

"We usually have the best team in the Memphis area. There is a good tradition," said Aaron.

"We should be very good again. We should contend for the state championship. The majority of the team is returning," he added.

Aaron's first stint at CBHS ended in the late 1980s, when he and his wife, Roxanne, moved to St. Louis to be closer to her family. Growing up in Kansas, the move brought him closer to his family as well.

While in St. Louis, he took over head coaching duties for, ironically, Christian Brothers High School.

Eventually, he stepped down as head coach and took over coaching the freshman team.

It was a move that gave Aaron an opportunity to coach Spenser Mango.

"I had him in a class. He was cut from the freshman football team," he said of Mango, who finished ninth in 121-pound weight class at the 2012 Olympics recently held in London.

"He's such a little guy. He was only about four foot eleven at the time. He was just a really neat kid and really likable. He had a great smile. Like I said, he was little, but he looked like an athlete."

On the first day of school, he asked Mango to stay after class.

"He walked up to me after class and said 'You want me to wrestle, don't you?' " said Aaron.

The minute Mango stepped on the mat Aaron knew he had something special.

"The first time I saw him wrestle, I said "He's going to be a state champion."

Mango, did in fact, go on to be a two-time state champ. After high school, he drew some interest from colleges, eventually settling on a Division II school.

That summer, his wrestling career took another course. A good showing at the National Tournament in Fargo, N.D., Mango drew the interest of the Olympic Development program at Northern Michigan University. He eventually chose to enroll in the program instead of the Division II school.

"They paid for his education and trained him full-time in Greco-Roman wrestling," said Aaron.

Greco-Roman is the style Olympians compete in. High-schools and colleges often practice freestyle. If Mango decided to go to the Division II school, he would have needed to retrain in Greco-Roman style, possibly stalling or derailing his Olympic future.

Currently, Mango is serving in Army, still training full-time as a part of the World Class Athletes Program. He is ranked No. 1 in the U.S. in his weight class.

Aaron and Mango still manage to keep in touch.

"Mostly through Facebook," said Aaron.

Following several years in St. Louis, his wife received a call from Memphis.

"My wife had an opportunity to teach at U of M."

So the couple packed up and moved back to the Bluff City. Aaron returned to Christian Brothers — this time as an assistant.

"I love being an assistant coach," said Aaron, who has no plans of calling it a day and stepping down.